Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks Football Trending For No. 1 Safety Trey McNutt? Texas A&M Making Push

The Oregon Ducks are trending to land the nation's No. 1 safety recruit Trey McNutt. Oregon is one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail with a 2025 recruiting class that has skyrocketed to No. 5 in college football.

Bri Amaranthus

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning talks to members of the media following spring camp for the Oregon Ducks Thursday, March 14, 2028.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning talks to members of the media following spring camp for the Oregon Ducks Thursday, March 14, 2028. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA
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The Oregon Ducks are trending to land the nation's No. 1 safety recruit Trey McNutt. Oregon is one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail with a 2025 recruiting class that has skyrocketed to No. 5 in college football.

The Cleveland native was originally scheduled to make his commitment July 19 between the Ducks, Ohio State, Florida, USC and Texas A&M, but the decision date has been pushed to Aug. 3.

McNutt raves about Oregon coach Dan Lanning.

"Coach Dan (Lanning), he set the tone for Oregon and he let me know that they're going for a national championship and that the program is going up and they want me," said McNutt. "He let me know that I'm at the top of their board and him being a defensive coach is pretty cool."

The 5-Star Shaker Heights (OH) safety was blown away by what he saw in Eugene on his most recent visit in June.

“I had a great return to Oregon,” McNutt told On3's Steve Wiltfong. “Coach Lanning and the staff continue to excite me about Oregon. When I got off the plane the whole staff was here playing music and turnt with energy. The program Oregon has and is leading to become is elite if you look at it... Oregon is making it a tough decision with where I want to play at."

The Ducks are trending for McNutt, currently at a 93.2 percent chance of adding him to their 2025 recruiting class, on On3's prediction machine. It's not a lock as McNutt's father played at Ohio State, where he won a National Championship in 2002. The Buckeyes currently have less than one percent chance to land McNutt.

Texas A&M is making a late push for McNutt. “It’s getting tight with the Aggies,” says Wiltfong.

Why should Oregon fans be excited about McNutt? His blazing speed. McNutt also competes in track and recorded three sub-11.00 100-meter times as a sophomore in Spring 2023.

The 6-foot, 180-pound McNutt would be a great addition to Oregon's secondary, which already has commitments from 4-star cornerback Dorian Brew and 4-star athlete Brandon Finney.

If McNutt commits, he will join wide receiver Dakorien Moore, Oregon's highest-rated recruit ever, as the two 5-stars in Oregon's 2025 recruiting class.

McNutt also made recent official visits to the Trojans on May 31, the Gators on June 7, and the Aggies on June 13.

Last season, the safety finished with 61 tackles with three tackles for loss while breaking up 12 pass attempts and forcing two fumbles. He also had a unique opportunity to represent the Cleveland Browns as part of Nike 'Next Ones' program - which allowed him behind-the-scenes access into Super Bowl LVIII.

"So, to be able to represent the Browns and the state of Ohio, everybody is repping the Browns," McNutt said. "So, it's like I'm about to show up for y'all. Ohio man, we about to show up for Cleveland."

In a rare-recent recruiting loss, five-star defensive back DJ Pickett pick LSU over Oregon and Miami on Wednesday. Oregon will look to get back in the win column with McNutt.

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Bri Amaranthus
BRI AMARANTHUS

Bri Amaranthus is an Emmy-winning sports reporter with over 12 years of experience in television, radio, podcasting, and digital sports journalism. She has been with Sports Illustrated for four years, providing breaking news, exclusive interviews, and analysis on the NFL, college sports, and the NBA. Prior to joining SI, Bri hosted NBC Sports Northwest's prime-time television show, where she also served as the Oregon beat reporter and created content covering both the NBA and college sports. Throughout her career, Bri has achieved significant milestones, including covering major events like the NBA Finals, NFL playoffs, College Football Playoff, NCAA Basketball Tournament, NFL Draft, and the NFL Combine. She earned a D1 scholarship to play softball at the University of San Diego and won two state softball titles in high school in Oregon. In addition to her Emmy win for NBC's All-Star Coach special, she has received multiple Emmy nominations, highlighting her dedication and talent in sports journalism.

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